The two books in this pair are “Ramona Quimby, Age 8” by Beverly Cleary and “I Was Told There’d Be Cake” by Sloane Crosley. Here is the note from the BuzzFeed article:

We all loved Ramona Quimby because she was relatable, a little strange, and always hilarious. Same goes for Sloane Crosley, whose sharp, endearing, and laugh-out-loud personal essays tell stories of angry bosses, misadventures at the Museum of Natural History, baking mishaps, and more.

Do you agree these were good compliments? What did you think of the books themselves?

Note: I have linked my reviews to each of the respective books as the titles in the beginning of this post. Also, if you have not read the books, I will likely have spoilers below so watch out!

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As the BuzzFeed article mentions, we all related to Ramona as kids because she was a little awkward, a little out there and everyone is weird in their own way. She faces normal everyday challenges and captured how often parents glossed over, or didn’t understand, the situation. I think that is one of the biggest reasons her observations are so relatable – everyone feels a little misunderstood at that age.

Sloane is definitely a grown up version of Ramona. She’s a little awkward, has her random mannerisms and fantastic observations about daily life that make you laugh out loud. She’s relatable because everyone has that high school friend that still wants to be best friends, can relate to a terrible camp experience or the complete meltdown that results when you do something stupid for the second time in a row.

If Ramona and Sloane were to meet on the street, I feel like they would instantly hit it off. Sloane still remembers what it was like to be a kid and the ridiculous that comes with it. The stories she tells are certainly more mature than the ones in Ramona Quimby’s, but I think they’re complimentary and a great match. I loved both of these books and I hope you did as well!